PC Specialist Apollo 850GTS review

PC Specialist's Apollo 850GTS is the first computer we've seen to come equipped with one of Intel's latest Core 2 Duo processors, the E6850.

With 2GB of RAM, the Apollo can handle the most Herculean of computing tasks. It performed very well in our video-encoding test, managing a score of 316. In our image-editing test it managed a score of 241.

You can record your favourite TV shows using the PCI hybrid TV tuner, but there's no remote control. At least you won't run out of hard disk space to store all your programs; the Apollo 850GTS has two 250GB hard disks. By default, one is used to store Windows and your applications, while the other holds your media library. You can configure them as a RAID 0 or 1 array instead if you wish.

PC Specialist has supplied an Acer 22in widescreen display. Its large 1,680x1,050 pixel resolution is ideal for working on two documents side by side, but it's flawed when attempting colour-sensitive work such as image manipulation. While it displayed most colours brightly and evenly, large areas of white looked greyish and there was noticeable coarseness and speckling in both our greyscale and colour transitions. It's more than adequate for watching movies, though.

Gamers will be able to play the latest games with high levels of graphical detail enabled, as the results of our 3D benchmarks show, thanks to the GeForce 8800GTS graphics card. If you want faster 3D performance in future, you can add another Nvidia graphics card in SLI mode. However, due to the tight spacing of the PCI slots, you must sacrifice the TV tuner or the wireless networking card to fit a double-slot card such as another 8800GTS. The cramped interior of the case can also get in the way if you want to add more hard disks, as both of the empty 31/2in drive bays are tricky to access.

Gamers and movie fans will appreciate the loud 5.1 Creative T6100 speakers, but they aren't well suited for listening to music. Although they have a lot of bass, they sound woolly and muffled. The cordless Logitech keyboard and mouse are adequate for everyday use, but gamers will want a more responsive USB set.

This is a generously specified PC, but you should consider whether you'll need all its extras, such as the TV tuner and wireless networking, before parting with your cash. If you don't need those extras then RL Supplies' Modula 4400 OC, is even faster in games and much cheaper.